Residents of Garnett Street between Sheriff Street and Stone Avenue are annoyed and distraught about flooding in their area, caused by drains blocked with sand from a nearby construction site.
The residents complained that since the construction of a nearby house began two months ago, they have been having a drainage problem owing to sand clogging up the drain.
Edward Eastman, a blind man, who rents a house at Lot 65 Garnett Street, said, “I woke up de morning and put my foot down and feel water, right? I thought it was dream, so I go back to sleep. So now I get up back again couple minutes later and put down my foot and realise it wasn’t a dream, so I open muh door and walk outside.”
Carmen Paris, Eastman’s landlady, said, “Since the house has been building, I have paid persons to clean my drains over and over. I have been to City Hall, numerous times and told them what has been happening to me and if they can help me but nobody hasn’t even bothered to show up.”
Eastman said his refrigerator and cassette and CD players are damaged along with his collection of CDs and cassettes. Eastman’s female companion complained that her public assistance voucher was destroyed in the flood and she wouldn’t be able to collect anything.
At another house nearby also affected by flooding, Jacqueline Liverpool’s husband showed this newspaper the clogged drain filled with sand, from the house under construction.
He said that Paris went to talk to the contractor responsible for construction of the house and told him about the drainage problem at her house, but it ended in a misunderstanding. He recalled too that last Friday, Mayor Hamilton Green was overlooking the construction of the plaza across from Royal Castle, when he approached him and told him about his problem. He said he showed Green the condition of his home. He said the Mayor told him that he would send an engineer. “They never reached and today is Tuesday,” he complained.
The shop owner just two doors away from Liverpool’s home said she also informed Mayor Green about the flooding problem in her shop but saw that no one was coming.
When contacted, Green told Stabroek News that he will check with the engineer about the problem.
